The Master Baker is Whipping up Something Incredible!

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLV

Imagine you're watching a baking show on television.

You marvel at the Master Baker as he tosses one ingredient after another into the mixing bowl. What is he whipping up?

You can't look away. Instead, your eyes are glued to the screen until the recipe comes together in the end. Ah ha! It's a gorgeous three layer cake with swirls of icing. Don't you love surprises like that?

God is much like that Master Baker.

He's hard at work, adding ingredients to your life. He's putting in a pinch of this and a dash of that. You might not always see what He's up to in the moment, but you can bet it's something marvelous, something to thrill and delight you!

Such was the case on a recent trip to the NW. I flew into Spokane Washington to spend time in nearby Idaho with my daughter and grandchildren. We visited an amusement park called Silverwood. (Picture me on a roller coaster.) On the way home we stopped off at a local grocery store in the small town of Hayden to buy coffee and a few other necessary supplies.

When we got back to the resort I noticed that I had a private message on Facebook from someone I'd never heard of before, a woman named Dana. I opened it and read it aloud to my daughter. It said:

Good even Ms. Janice! From the Village Bakery in north Idaho. A special needs bakery giving job skills to those with physical or developmental disabilities. We LOVE your book Just Roll with It and we all gather around for a morning devotional from your sweet as pie book. Thank you for writing it and bring us so much joy and some tears as we relate to so many of your stories. We love every page. Please tell me there is a series!! We love you! And thank you.

I was tickled pink, as you might imagine. I quickly wrote back and explained that I happened to be in north Idaho staying at a resort. (A coincidence? Or God-incidence?) She wrote back and shared that the bakery was in (you guessed it) Hayden, Idaho, the very town we had just visited.

And guess what? We planned to return to Hayden the following day to go back to the amusement park for another day of fun. So, we stopped off at the Village Bakery on the way. . .and would you believe me if I told you it was in the very same parking lot as the grocery store we stopped at the night before?

At this point I knew this all had to be more than a coincidence! No, God had surely arranged our meeting.

The employees greeted me like incoming royalty. My grandkids were mesmerized. They don't really see me as an author, only as their "Nina."

I visited with Dana and several of the awesome, godly employees. My daughter and grandkids nibbled on goodies while I signed my book and took pictures with the ladies. They even gave me an amazing apron with the name of the bakery on it!

I was able to share some sweet conversation with an aspiring author and listen to some of her stories about being a missionary in Thailand. And I was able to hug Dana's neck and marvel at the way God had brought us together.

As these precious women gathered around me, I felt as if I'd somehow known them all forever, like we were all part of one big family.

Perhaps that's because we are part of one big family, the family of God!

Watching that story unfold was much like watching a Master Baker at work. I wasn't sure what God was up to at first, but by the end of the story, it was very clear! He was baking up a new friendship with Dana and the other ladies at the bakery. He was knitting us together through our common love of baking. He was bonding us together in His own unique way.

No doubt God has surprised you in similar fashion over the years. He's probably cooking up something special, even now, to show you just how much you are loved by Him. No matter what He's up to, you can count on one thing. . .it's going to be sweet!

Jesus, thank You for the lovely surprises You've whipped up! I'm so grateful for the many times you've delighted me with "coincidences" that turned out to be God-incidences! I can hardly wait to see what You've got up your sleeve next! Amen.

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If you happen to be passing through Hayden Idaho, stop in at the Village Bakery for something luscious to nibble on! Tell them Janice Thompson sent you. And while you're there, check out the bakery's backstory. These are remarkable, godly people, baking up more than just sweet treats. They're whipping up miraculous stories of God's healing, grace, and provision!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.